The Federal Government may shut down the Lagos section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway within two weeks if motorists and other road users fail to comply with safety measures and authorities do not see significant improvement in conditions along the route.
Olufemi Dare, Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, issued the warning on Monday while addressing journalists during an inspection tour of the Highway, saying the decision had been directed by David Umahi, the Minister of Works, following persistent safety breaches, vandalism and other illegal activities on the road.
“Within two weeks, if there’s no improvement on all these issues, then we have no option than to come back and shutdown this road,” Dare told journalists.
He said the Government had an alternative in the Lekki-Epe Expressway, adding that the coastal highway was still under construction and should ordinarily not have been opened to traffic before the completion of its bridges.
The Lagos section of the coastal highway comprises two sections spanning about 103 kilometres. Section 1 covers 47.474 kilometres, while Section 2 extends for about 56 kilometres.
Dare said there are 20 major bridges along the two sections in Lagos, with 10 in each section, several of which are still under construction.
He expressed concern over motorists driving at high speeds on a road where construction activities are ongoing, despite the prescribed speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour.
“People who come to coastal road and get to a speed of 120 kilometres per hour on the coastal road, and where constructions are going on, bridges, construction are going on,” he said. “We have said your speed on the coastal road must not be more than 30 kilometres per hour.”
Lives are being lost on the coastal road almost every other day, he said, warning that the government could no longer allow the situation to continue.
Trucks, illegal U-turns targeted
The controller also warned articulated vehicles against parking along the highway, saying trucks and trailers were being used as temporary parking spaces by some drivers.
He said the government had reached an agreement with the Lagos State Police Command to increase police deployment along the highway.
According to him, the increased security presence followed meetings between the works minister and Fatai Tijani, Lagos commissioner of police.
“Beginning from this morning, we’ve started to see the improvement in deployment of police. And we are going to have more,” Dare said.
He also warned against illegal U-turns created along the highway, saying anyone arrested for the offence would be prosecuted.
Okada motorcycles, tricycles, hawking and animal grazing have also been banned along the highway, according to the controller.
“We don’t want Okada motorcycles, tricycles. We don’t want them on the coastal road,” he said.
He added that the authorities would also move against people living in shanties and other illegal structures along the highway.
Vandalism threatens safety infrastructure
Dare said vandalism of safety infrastructure had become a major challenge, with sections of the protective fencing and other installations removed at night.
He said at least five kilometres of ClearVu fencing had been removed, while about 18 kilometres of concrete covers had also been vandalised and taken away.
“They come in the night, they remove the ClearVu fence that was used to barricade the communities from the coastal highway,” he said.
The government is considering replacing the steel ClearVu fencing with concrete barriers in vulnerable areas, he said, because the current fencing can be removed easily by vandals.
“We have to change the strategy,” Dare said. “In areas where we have block work today, we do not have any problem with them.”
He said the government was also working on the deployment of CCTV cameras to improve surveillance.
Coastal guard to support police
Dare said the government had approved the recruitment of 40 members of a coastal guard for the first section of the highway, with four expected to be drawn from each community along the route.
The guards will work directly with the police and are expected to provide community-level surveillance, while additional personnel will be recruited for Section 2.
He said some previously engaged coastal guards had been attacked by vandals, making stronger police protection necessary.
The controller also said authorities were planning to reorganise and train the coastal guard under the direct supervision of the Lagos State Police Command.
